WANT TO BE AN EFFECTIVE LEADER? STOP SAYING “I FEEL LIKE…”

It would make life so much easier if clear communication was easy in the workplace! Everything from emailing, giving and receiving feedback and holding productive meetings rely on clear communication. But there is a huge roadblock to this and it comes in three little words according to author, Stephanie Nieves, “I feel like..”

Nieves, goes on to quote Molly Worthen, author of a New York Times article:

Because according to Molly Worthen, author of a New York Times article on this topic, “the phrase is an absolutist trump card. It halts argument in its tracks.” Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn, a historian at Syracuse University who’s quoted in the article, adds that the phrase is “a way of deflecting, avoiding full engagement with another person or group.”

Here’s the problem, as explained by Worthen: Saying “I feel like” makes it practically impossible to have a productive conversation with others.

Let’s say your boss calls a meeting to discuss your team’s performance with the intention of addressing areas that need improvement. Everyone’s welcome to share what didn’t work and brainstorm possible reasons why. If everyone feels like it didn’t work for one reason or another, where will the responsibility for fixing those problems actually go?

To figure out how to stop using these three little words and hold strong to clear communication at your place of work read the article by Stephanie Nieves, at www.themuse.com